Feds: 5 charged with allegedly stealing, reselling catalytic converters

The operators of a Connecticut warehouse allegedly purchased stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves and sold them to recycling centers in New York and New Jersey, federal prosecutors said in an indictment unsealed Wednesday. 

The owner of the East Hartford business, Alexander Kolitsas, 28, of Wolcott, Connecticut, transported stolen catalytic converters and other items to Island Park twice in March, selling them to an associate identified in court papers as “A.P.” for $300,000 in cash. 

A spokesman for Vanessa Roberts Avery, the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, declined to provide any additional information about the Island Park transactions or the identity of A.P., citing an ongoing investigation. Nassau police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Catalytic converters, which turn pollutants from automobile exhaust into less-toxic gases, are targeted by thieves because they contain precious metals, can be easily removed from a vehicle and are difficult to trace, Avery said in a statement. Thieves can receive between $300 and $1,500 for the devices, depending on the model and type of precious metal. 

“They increase insurance rates for all car owners and increase pollution in the air we breath,” she said of catalytic converter thieves in a statement. “We have also seen a rise in violence connected to catalytic theft incidents. This criminal activity would not exist but for the salvagers and metal processors who orchestrate these thefts and purchase the stolen converters.” 

The nine-count indictment said Kolitsas and co-defendant Bryant Bermudez, 31, of East Hartford, operated Downpipe Depot & Recycling LLC, which had a warehouse in East Hartford. The two purchased stolen catalytic converters from a network of thieves that included co-defendants Robert Alicea, 30, of New Britain (also known as “Bebe with the Shrimp”); Francisco Ayala, 22, of Ansonia; and Theodore Roosevelt Owens, 21, of Hartford. Kolitsas and Bermudez instructed their suppliers on the types of catalytic converters that would obtain the most profit upon resale, and then transported and sold the catalytic converters to recycling businesses in New York and New Jersey, the indictment said. 

“Overall the safest bet would be Honda and Acuras,” Kolitsas allegedly told Owens in a text message. 

Downpipe Depot received more than $237,000 via wire transfer after Kolitsas transported a load of catalytic converters, including stolen converters, to Freehold, New Jersey, in October, the indictment said. Kolitsas also received approximately $300,000 after the two Island Park transactions. 

The indictment charges the five defendants with conspiracy to transport stolen property and interstate transportation of stolen property. Kolitsas was also charged with promotional money laundering for using proceeds from the theft and sale of catalytic converters to purchase a Ford Transit van. He is also charged with two counts of engaging in monetary transactions with proceeds of specified unlawful activity.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia on Wednesday ordered Kolitsas to be held on $150,000 bond, according to court records. Bermudez was released on a $150,000 bond and Alicea is detained pending a hearing scheduled for Friday. Ayala is currently in state custody, and Owens is currently in federal custody for an unrelated offense.